Corporate governance

Public Consultation: Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

The consultation closed on 9 February 2017

Businesses can play a major role in contributing to economic, environmental and social progress, especially when they minimise the adverse impacts of their operations, supply chains and other business relationships. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises recommend that enterprises conduct due diligence in order to identify, prevent or mitigate and account for how actual and potential adverse impacts are addressed.

The OECD is currently developing a general Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct to provide practical support to companies on the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Due Diligence Guidance contains plain language explanations of the due diligence recommendations and associated provisions in the OECD Guidelines and can be used by companies in any sector of the economy. In this context, the OECD is asking for comment on two draft documents:

This Guidance draws from the due diligence approaches contained in the sector-specific guidance already developed by the OECD.

Comments received will be taken into account when finalising the Guidance which is scheduled for completion in 2017.

About the Guidance

This draft Guidance is addressed to multinational enterprises in all sectors and of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises, operating or based in countries adhering to the Guidelines. This Guidance can also serve as a reference for stakeholders to understand the measures businesses are recommended to take with regard to managing their impacts.

The Guidance is not intended to reinterpret the Guidelines and can help governments, particularly National Contact Points, in their efforts to promote the OECD Guidelines. Finally, this Guidance may be relevant for other parties, such as sector-wide and multi-stakeholder initiatives, that facilitate collaboration on some or all steps of the due diligence process.